Pacers-Nets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHANPosted Dec 22 2013 11:55PM

It's been a rough first few months for the Brooklyn Nets, who have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries.

Coach Jason Kidd's team lost an especially important piece its last time out.

In their first game after Brook Lopez was ruled out for the season, the Nets host the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Lopez, averaging a team-leading 20.7 points, broke a bone in his right foot during Friday's 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia. The All-Star center suffered the same injury, a fractured fifth metatarsal, when he was limited to five games in 2011-12.

Lopez, who also underwent offseason surgery to replace a bent screw in the foot, had also missed nine games this season with ankle trouble. Brooklyn is 2-7 without him.

"It's almost like we can't catch a break. It's always something every day, every other day somebody goes down. One man comes back, somebody goes down," said Joe Johnson, who didn't play against the 76ers due to personal reasons. "It's been tough because it's hard to gain any chemistry with guys in and out, but I just hate it for the big fella."

Deron Williams is averaging 17.8 points and 10.0 assists over a six-game stretch since returning from a sprained ankle. The Nets (9-17) could also get a boost from Andrei Kirilenko (back) and Jason Terry (knee), who are both near returning.

"We got guys in here that's capable and I think the mentality is not going to change in here," said Paul Pierce, who missed four games with a broken hand Nov. 30-Dec.7. "We can't use that as an excuse. We have to come out here and continue to do our jobs each and every day regardless of who's out there. We dealt with the injury bug all year."

As if playing without Lopez wasn't daunting enough, the Nets now face the Pacers (22-5), who enter Brooklyn on a tear. Two days after blowing out Houston 114-81, Indiana cruised to a 106-79 win over Boston on Sunday.

Paul George led the way with 24 points and Lance Stephenson scored 12 to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-leading third triple-double.

"We're starting the game off with high energy and we're ending the game with high energy and in between we're maintaining that energy," said George, averaging a team-leading 23.9 points. "It wears teams down, and I think that's been the case these past couple games."

After shooting 1 of 7 and finishing with five points in his season debut Friday, Danny Granger scored 12 while making 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

"Adding Granger is scary," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I think the more comfortable he gets, the better they'll be. I think they're already if not the leader for the hunt, they're in the hunt."

Sunday's game opened a 12-game stretch during which the Pacers will face 11 teams that currently have losing records.

"We are a tough basketball team, we know that we can play, we know that we can improve," George said. "We are having fun out there because we are getting to know each other better."

The Pacers had dropped four straight to the Nets before winning 96-91 at Barclays Center on Nov. 9 behind 24 points from George. Indiana is 11-4 versus Brooklyn since the start of 2009-10.

Though Granger has missed the last four meetings in the series, he's averaged 21.1 points in his last 15 games against the Nets.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Stephenson, George lead Pacers to rout of Nets

By BRIAN MAHONEYPosted Dec 23 2013 11:12PM

NEW YORK (AP) Lance Stephenson gave the home fans something to cheer, and that hasn't happened often in Brooklyn this season.

Stephenson scored a career-high 26 points in his hometown, Paul George also had 26, and the Indiana Pacers went on to their third straight easy victory, 103-86 over the Nets on Monday night.

Stephenson, who recorded his NBA-leading third triple-double of the season Sunday in a rout of Boston, did most of his damage as a scorer, back where he did plenty of it in high school. He became the career scoring leader in New York state, with nearly 3,000 points at Abraham Lincoln High School.

Dozens of fans saluted him as he exited the court through the tunnel, and Stephenson, unable to hide his grin afterward, figures he knew most of them.

"I just was very motivated and hyped for this game. I couldn't sleep at night. I'm just happy we got the W," said Stephenson, who coach Frank Vogel said should be the leading choice for the Most Improved Player award that George won last season.

David West finished with 13 points for the Pacers, who pulled away in the third period, when Paul Pierce was ejected for a flagrant foul in only the second scoreless game of his career.

Indiana followed its only losing streak of the season by beating Houston and Boston by a combined 60 points, then blew this one open after a competitive first half.

"Lance Stephenson and Paul George just keep putting in special performances and they're really giving us a big lift," Vogel said.

Joe Johnson scored 17 points for the Nets, who lost their third straight. Kevin Garnett, moving to the center spot after Brook Lopez was lost to a broken right foot, had 12.

Lopez was the Nets' leading scorer, and his loss - and watching how easily the Pacers dominated the third quarter - make it hard to believe the Nets can turn around their 9-18 record and reach their lofty expectations.

"We're kind of getting comfortable with losing and we've got to make a stand with that because when things get tough, do we just give in?" Kidd said. "And most of the time right now we do."

The Nets host Chicago on Christmas. Deron Williams, who shot 3 of 9 in an admittedly poor performance, disagreed with Kidd's statement about accepting losing.

"I'm not comfortable with losing. It's not fun," he said. "It's not fun not only when we're losing during the game, but when you go home sitting and thinking about it."

Neither team managed a double-digit lead in the first half. The Pacers went ahead by eight late in the second quarter on Stephenson's 3-pointer, and they took a 45-39 advantage into halftime.

George hit a 3-pointer to open the third and it was all Indiana from there, highlighted by a 20-4 run that turned an eight-point lead into a 71-47 bulge.

Pierce was ejected during the blitz. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up, but his arm ended up going around Hill's neck for a clothesline tackle. Referees ruled it a flagrant 2 after review, an automatic ejection, though even Hill wasn't sure it warranted that.

"It was a basketball play. I think back in the day, hard fouls was good," he said. "So, it was a hard foul, but at the end of the day, don't let it rattle you and that's what I thought about."

Pierce finished 0 for 7. His only other scoreless night in a 15-year career came in a 10-minute outing against the Charlotte Hornets on March 9, 1999, during his rookie season, according to STATS.

Nets reserve Jason Terry had 11 points in his first appearance since Nov. 20 after he missed the last 15 games with a bruised left knee. Andray Blatche also scored 11.

Notes: The teams meet again Saturday at Indiana, the start of punishing three-game trip for the Nets that follows with visits to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. ... The Pacers, who had 29 and 28 assists in their last two games, finished with 16. ... Danny Granger was 0 for 7 in 14 scoreless minutes.

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Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Pacers 103, Nets 86

THE FACT: The Indiana Pacers won their third in a row and second in two nights, moving back into a tie with the Portland Trail Blazers for the best record in the NBA at 23-5.

THE LEAD: Highlighted by a dominant second half, the Pacers continued to set the standard for stingy defense in walloping a rudderless rendition of the Brooklyn Nets 103-86. Without center Brook Lopez, the Nets (9-18) struggled to find continuity on offense, looked weak inside, and were hammered on the boards. Even in the rare instances when the Nets were putting the ball in the basket, they seemed overmatched. Getting shots off proved tough at times; passing lanes closed with the speed of slammed doors.

QUOTABLE II: "Have all my family come out and watch me and I was just very motivated and very hyped for this game. I couldn't sleep at night. I'm just happy we got the 'W'."-- Lance Stephenson

QUOTABLE III: "It starts with me. I have to play better."-- Nets guard Deron Williams

NOTABLE: The Nets scored only one point against the Pacers' vaunted defense in the final 5:38 of the first quarter. .... In addition to getting ejected, Pierce shot 0-for-7 from the field. .... Ian Mahinmi and C.J. Watson combined for seven steals off the Indiana bench.